AGENCIES
/ New Delhi
INDIA’S Ministry of External Affairs on Monday responded to concerns raised over Indian nationals stuck in Afghanistan amid the tense situation caused by the rapid Taliban takeover.
“The security situation in Kabul, Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly in the last few days. We’ve been issuing periodic advisories for the safety and security of Indian nationals, including calling for their immediate return to India”: MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
Arindam Bagchi informed about the Ministry of External Affairs’ efforts in helping out the Indian nationals in Afghanistan and its capital city Kabul.
“We had circulated emergency contact numbers and had also been extending assistance to community members. We’re aware that there are still some Indian nationals in Afghanistan who wish to return and we’re in touch with them,” the MEA spokesperson added.
Talking about the repatriation efforts, Arindam Bagchi said, “We’ll facilitate repatriation to India of those who wish to leave Afghanistan. There are also a number of Afghans who’ve been our partners in the promotion of our mutual developmental, educational and people-to-people endeavours. We will stand by them”.
“Commercial operations from Kabul airport have been suspended today. This has forced a pause in our repatriation efforts. We are awaiting the resumption of flights to restart the process,” he informed.
Earlier, talking about the evacuation of Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that the Ministry of External Affairs and others who are responsible for it will make all the arrangements.
With the situation getting worse each day, the Chief Minister urged External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar for “immediate evacuation of all Indians, including around 200 Sikhs, stuck in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover”.